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Travel and Transport

These pages outline the travel and transport information for the university from 5th August.

All our university sites are easy to access by public and sustainable transport. Please see the University’s Travel Plan aims below as well as all travel and transport information in the menu tabs including: bus and train services, park and ride and cycling and walking.

The University’s Travel Plan exists to reduce the impact of our student, staff and visitor travel to our sites and to provide viable and accessible sustainable travel options instead, which results in a reduction of carbon emissions, Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) pollution and congestion. With over 2,000 staff and 10,000 students, travel is a key issue for the University to manage.

With the move to our new campus, Waterside, the University is working hard to ensure it supports sustainable travel options through its Travel Plan, including: subsidised Uno Buses, free intercampus Uno Bus, a park and ride facility on the edge of town, Cycle CoNNect hire bikes, and excellent cycling and walking routes.

The travel plan aims to reduce single occupancy car journeys to our sites by 20% in five years.

Visitor Parking

The University has the following spaces which can be booked for visitors:

Waterside car park 2: 52 spaces
St Georges Avenue car park 3: 12 spaces
There are also visitor bays at our Podiatry Clinic but these are for patients only and information will be provided with your appointment.

In order to utilise the designated car parks visitors are required to pre-register their vehicle in order to be approved on the vehicle ‘white list’ and given access. Once registered the barriers will automatically open on arrival through Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

Details can be provided by either the University staff member or visitor direct, by completing the Visitor Parking Form on the University’s Portal here. A University staff member must be listed on the form and the request will be verified with them. Once verified the request will be processed and the visitor will be approved or declined depending on the spaces available – an automatic email with all relevant information will be sent to the visitor, including alternative parking options where required.

Visitor parking spaces is only booked for the duration specified and is likely to be booked out before/after also – if a visitor wishes to overstay they will need to check with the parking@northampton.ac.uk team that the space is available.

Parking charges are applicable to all visitors, except Blue Badge holders and motorbikes. Visitors are required to pay on arrival using either the cashless payment machine or RingGo app, phone number or website, a receipt option will be available.

If all on site visitor parking is full, visitors can utilise the Sixfields Park and Ride for free parking, with £1.20 return bus fare. Visitors need a UoN bus pass in order to get the discounted fare, which they can collect from the Park and Ride security cabin. Bus passes must be signed out and back in again. The pass will apply for the 18 service to Waterside and the 20 to St George’s Avenue. Visitors coming to St George’s Avenue will need to change to the 20 service at either the rail station, Marefair (walk to Sol Central) or Waterside.

Additionally, for visitors to Waterside there are a number of Borough Council town centre car parks, Midsummer Meadow is located just next door to Waterside and costs £4 for up to 5 hours (please check the tariff boards on site in case of price changes).

As much notice as possible, but at least 24 hours, should be given for visitor parking in order to avoid disappointment. If requests are sent through on the day we cannot guarantee the parking team will have had the time to process it or that there will be any spaces available. For visitors arriving in short notice, please utilise the Park and Ride.

Directions to Waterside:

Waterside Campus has recently opened and therefore the information on Google Maps and Sat Nav systems is limited. However, the site can be found on openstreetmap.org.

The visitor car park (car park 2) can only be accessed from Bedford Road – vehicles cannot drive through the campus. Please see the campus travel map.

Waterside Campus – NN1 5PH

Bedford Road – NN1 5NS

The visitor car park can only be accessed from Bedford Road – vehicles cannot drive through the campus. Please see the campus travel map attached.

Directions to St George’s Avenue:

St George’s Avenue (previously Avenue Campus) is just on the outskirts of the town centre opposite the old Northampton Racecourse (recreational park).

Below are some nearby postcodes that might be useful.

St George’s Avenue – NN2 6JB

Barrack Road (A508) – NN1 5NS

Kingsley Road (A5095) – NN2 7BL

The visitor car park can only be accessed from the Staff & Visitor entrance (east entrance) – please see the map here.

Parking Charges

Parking charges apply to all users, except Blue Badge Holders and motorbikes, at all University sites, except the park and ride.

The payment can be paid via cashless payment machines (bank card chip and pin or contactless) or via a pay by phone app with RingGo. Payment and parking is linked via the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system so there is no need to display a ticket in your vehicle. Payment for all parking at any site must be made on arrival. To top up parking, users will either need to revisit the payment machine or use the RingGo app. If the payment machine is not working, visitors at Waterside can utilise another machine in an alternative car park or use the RingGo phone/app/website facility.

Monday to Friday tariff:​

Free for first 30-minutes in any day (to allow equipment drop-off/pick-up)

Visitors will be given a receipt option upon payment should they be able to claim parking costs back from their employer/company.

RingGo payment option​

All users can pay for parking at any University site via RingGo ​– RingGo is a pay by phone option with phone number, app and website (meaning it can also be used from desktop). The University has one code that covers all sites – 24700.

RingGo charge an obligatory ‘convenience fee’ of 20p per transaction, so please consider this when you choose your payment preference. In addition, RingGo automatically registers you for text messaging alerts at an additional 20p – this can be cancelled in your settings, visit the help pages and select ‘opt in/out of text messages’.

RingGo does allow for easy remote top up parking – if you are overstaying you can top up your parking fee remotely, otherwise you would need to re-visit the payment machine. ​

Disabled Parking

If a visitor is a Blue Badge holder, please specify this on the form and access will be given to cover all four car parks at Waterside – visitors can then liaise with their University contact as to which car park may be the most appropriate.

At St George’s Avenue the visitor will automatically get access to all staff parking areas so can choose the most appropriate Blue Badge bay. Alternatively, there are Disabled bays not behind ANPR barriers outside the Oundle Centre and the Portfolio Centre (access from Maidwell/Quinton entrance road).